John Michael 1

John Michael studied under Micah Thomas and ministered in the Monmouthshire area, remaining a friend of Thomas's, though not exactly sharing his theology. In the NLW his brother's notes about him in English have been retained. They are as follows

A Memoir

Rev John Michael

Died September the 18th, 1898, my brother John. He was born at Holyhead, December 7th, 1819. He had in his childhood the education customary in those days. He professed religion with the Baptists during the year 1828. It was in his mind some years previously to become a preacher. His desire was made known to the Rev William Morgan and under his directions, as well as those of the Rev William Griffiths, Independent minister, he endeavoured to bring about the realisation of his desire. He succeeded in his purpose. According to the custom of those days permission was given to him by the monthly meeting to preach throughout the churches, his publications having been sent to the churches beforehand. Then he became a missionary at Lleyn. After this the Denbigh Missionary Society appointed him a missionary in connection with the church that was at Denbigh, to co-operate with Mr Foulkes, a zealous deacon and successful merchant who had come from London to reside there.

And in time, after making the necessary application, the way was opened for him to enter the college at Abergavenny under the care of the Rev Micah Thomas. The college was moved from there to Trosnant, Pontypool, under the care of the Rev Dr Thomas and my brother was there to the close of his curriculum.

By that time there was a new church being formed at Llanfihangel Trichornel, an old preaching station. A chapel and private house were built there. The church was incorporated and my brother was ordained there as minister on the day the new chapel was opened, January 5th and 6th, 1839.

Now that he had a suitable habitation my brother went to look for a wife and got married to Rachael, a daughter to William Jones (singer) Cymmera, Llanwenarth; a modest, good looking, clean and religious young maiden with a strong pecuniary hope in the family through a relational connection with the two old bachelors at Llanbeudan who through a mere accident in law had become the possessors of many thousands of pounds. In this way John commenced his ministerial and married life in a happy manner. To his wife were born five children.

There was a graveyard attached to the chapel but as none of the fraternity sought burial there and as they had their dead buried with their families in the consecrated ground of the parish, my brother planted potatoes in the new graveyard. This was so much against the old and sacred notion of propriety that prevailed amongst the people that the fraternity turned against him and the more he endeavoured to convince them, the more and more bitter they became. Connected with the chapel was one of Mr Boyce's schools and payment towards the same was nearly all the remuneration the minister received. Complaints were made to that gentleman. The consequence was that he threatened to withhold his money. And though John promised he would never again plant a potato in the yard after that crop, more and more bitter the fraternity became and the result was that he left them.

He then took charge of the Welsh cause at Cwmbran and kept a drapers' shop for his brother-in-law. But in about three years, through the recommendation of the Reverend F Hiley, Llanwenarth and Mr Evans, Pontrhydyrun, he settled at Llangwm. He lived there until Rachel died and left him a widower with five motherless children, the eldest being 11 years of age and the youngest not able to walk. The grandparents at Cymmera took two children, the eldest boy and the girl next to the youngest, leaving the other three with the father but there was a strong support for them at Cymmera.

About this time there returned to the neighbourhood in quest of health a middle-aged woman who had left the place for over 20 years and during most of this time had served as cook with various gentlemen, receiving at the rate of £52 and more per annum as renumeration for her service. A great deal of what she had thus received had been deposited in a bank. She went to my brother and asked him to baptise her. She also sought church membership. After this she asked him to write out her will. In this way he discovered that she was worth more than £500. My brother, with his eyes open, went to London to make enquiries as to the truth of her statement. Having found out that it was true, he returned and began to pay her his addresses. He was successful. He married her. To him she became a suitable help-meet, and to his children a kind and careful mother. Mrs Michael was restored to her usual health. As she was active and concerned about the material prosperity of her family she determined to open a grocery shop in the neighbourhood. And for the convenience of the family they removed from Llangwm to Penhow, in Llanvaches. That rich, religious and reverend minister, Thomas Leonard had built a sweet chapel there and a church was formed (Penuel) and my brother was reckoned there and at Magor as pastor. Mrs Michael also opened her shop. They were successful here for a long time. However, the health of the active wife failed her once more and she died and was buried at Penhow. By this time my brother's children had grown up. Some of them got married and settled down near Nantyglo and started business there. My brother sold his shop and went away to live with his sons but William the eldest son died. His daughter Eunice got married to a baker and ship chandler who lived in Newport. My brother transferred all he possessed to Mr Morgan Thomas and, amongst other things, a small cottage worth from £8 to £10 per annum, on the condition that he should be supported whilst he lived. And it was with Mr Morgan Thomas, the husband of his daughter, he was when he died in his sleep in bed on the 18th or 19th (it is not known which) of September, 1878. His age was 66 and about nine months. He was respectably buried in the graveyard attached to Penuel Chapel, Llanvaches, Monmouthshire.

His health failed him for some 12 or 15 years before his decease. In travelling over rough places - hedges and ditches - in Monmouthshire, for the purpose of visiting the various members of his scattered flock, he was so unfortunate as to rupture himself very severely. This became the cause of much pain and was the occasion of his resorting to strong medicine and drinks to alleviate his suffering but which at the same time poisoned his constitution. Moreover this produced in him a temper that was fretful and painful to himself and others. But his doctrinal opinion used to comfort him. As it used to be said 40 years ago, he was, as to belief a hyper or antinomian, and he used to say with force and determination “For I know whom I have believed”, “I know that my redeemer liveth”, etc. He was not a great reader. He was very fond of conversation in a humble and familiar manner and especially as in association with smoking. Though it was a rank hyper that John was yet there were to him some very dear friends amongst the Fullerites. The Rev Micah Thomas and himself were true friends. Also Hiley, Llanwenarth, and Evans, Pontrhydyrun. Thomas Kenvin and himself would smoke together for hours most happily. Also Jones, Castleton and W Thomas, Newport. There was nothing of a brilliant or extraordinary character in the preaching gifts of my brother but a quiet, placid, pleasant flowing like the Waters of Siloam, full of salvation for the believing brothers.

Burdened is my breast for the burial of my brother

Budd yw fy mron am briddy fy mrawd

Owen Michael

Bebbington on Micah Thomas and the end of the Academy

David Bebbington gave a paper on Edwards and his legacy in Britian, in Australia in 2015. See here.
In it he says

The transition from a high Calvinism to the moderate version represented by Edwards was sharply contested in Wales. The first Baptist academy to be set up in Wales, at Abergavenny in 1807, had another Bristol graduate trained by John Ryland, Micah Thomas, as its president. Thomas was a keen advocate of the Edwardsean approach to theology as embodied in Fuller’s writings. As a result he was charged by the high Calvinists of south Wales as veering towards Arminianism. In 1811 he published a sermon called Salvation of Sovereign Grace in order, as he put it, to ‘refute groundless insinuations’.(D. Mervyn Himbury, The South Wales Baptist College (1807-1957) [Cardiff: South Wales Baptist College, 1957], p. 22.) The rumours of his defection from sound doctrine, however, continued to circulate and in 1834 critics were given ammunition by five disaffected students. They complained that at worship he used John Wesley’s notes on scripture, claiming that they were superior to the comments of John Gill, the doughty eighteenth-century champion of high Calvinist orthodoxy among the Baptists. The affair was complicated by petty attacks on Thomas for refusing permission for students to attend the local Welsh society and requiring residents to be in their rooms by 8 p.m. The resulting controversy brought down the academy. The local Baptist association refused further financial support, a rival institution was planned, Thomas resigned, the academy closed and a new institution had to be created elsewhere, at Pontypool. There, under a president trained at Stepney and a tutor from Bristol Academy, the position of Edwards, Fuller and the newer Calvinism was reinstated. (Himbury, South Wales Baptist College, pp. 31-43.) This episode reveals clearly that contemporaries recognised the sharp difference between the model of theology of Gill and the type associated with Edwards. Micah Thomas contrasted the two. The point of view embodied in Gill’s thought was ‘that stringent and exclusive system’ which was designed ‘to guarantee the orthodoxy of the preacher’, differing from ‘the universally benign atmosphere of that blessed economy, which is… “good tidings of great joy to all people”’.(Himbury, South Wales Baptist College, p. 36.) In the end this warm-hearted Edwardseanism triumphed.  

Andrew Fuller

We have noted before Thomas's admiration for Andrew Fuller. He quotes Fuller at the end of a sermon on John 3:16 preached in Abersychan on 21 November 1827 in the afternoon and calls him "that extraordinary and illustrious character". Fuller says “Your eternal all depends upon it: for believing in Christ you are saved; but not believing in him there is no escaping.”

In a note found in one of the volumes of sermons on the book of life he quotes Fuller again and calls him a great writer. Fuller says (in his commentary on Revelation) "The blessed God is represented as keeping a register of his servants, not as elect, or as redeemed, or as called, but as his professed followers. When any turn back, their names are blotted out. Hence at the last judgment it is made the rule of condemnation.

Andrew Fuller in Wales 1812

In June 1812 Micah Thomas's hero Andrew Fuller 1754-1815 made a tour of South Wales. T M Bassett suggests it was at Thomas's suggestion. In a piece of bad timing Thomas records that “For six weeks after the 10^th of May I did not preach at all being much indisposed in my body." It was "During this period the excellt. Mr. Fuller paid us a visit. He preached in our place May 31^st at 11 o'clock, forenoon. His text was Ps. Lxxxvi.17. Shew me a token for good."

He goes on to list the other dates on the tour

June 1. He preached at Trosnant at 2.30 pm from Acts xii.24.

June 3. He preached at the Association at Hengoed from Isaiah ix.7 the last clause.

June 4. He preached at Zion Chapel Merthyr at 6 o'clock in the evening from John III.35.

June 7. He preached in the Back-lane meeting house at Swansea at 3 o'clock from John XVII.22.27.

June 8. He preached at Carmarthen in the Tabernacle at 7 o'clock from Phil. III.8.

June 10. He preached at the Association at Cwm Felin Monach (ie Cwmfelin Mynach) in Carmarthenshire from John XVII.21: the same text as he preached from at Swansea. Afterwards he returned to Bristol.

In a letter from Abergavenny to Sutcliff, Fuller wrote of his own bad health

"It was not because I forgot your kind request, that I did not write before; but, from being so unwell, that writing has been a burden. I have had much fever, and five or six sleepless nights; no sleep however, in several instances, till three or four in the morning. I have preached only three sermons, since I left home. One at Birmingham, one at Worcester, and one here. I do not find any ill effect from these, as I speak low, and only stand about half an hour. ... Our wisdom is to be still and quiet, and to mind our own business. For my own part, my afflictions say to me, Study to show thyself approved unto God. What empty things are the applauses of creatures, and how idle the pursuit of them! I seem near the end of my course, ... etc.

In 1852 Fuller's son wrote of the tour to Wales that it "is remembered with feelings of deep interest by the venerable minister whose hospitality he was then partaking, and who was principal of the academy since removed to Pontypool, and by such as still survive to speak of it." He goes on "Early in June, Mr. Fuller preached to a large out-door assembly, at the Welsh association, in Glamorganshire. A considerable portion of the ministry, jealous of the reputed inroads made by him on the purity of Calvinistic doctrine, retired to the chapel during his discourse, fine reports, however, of such as remained on the ground to hear of the great things performed by "the zeal of the Lord of hosts," modified the prejudices of many, and contributed, with his subsequent ministrations, and the perusal of his writings, to effect a great change in the views and ministrations of his brethren in that district; and it may be affirmed with truth, that in no part of the United Kingdom are his works more thoroughly estimated, or have contributed more largely to an enlightened and efficient ministry of the word of God."

Bassett on Micah Thomas

In his 1977 book The Welsh Baptists T M Bassett, having looked at the trinitarian controversy goes on to say on page 124ff

The nature of the atonement caused more contention. (He mentions John Jenkins of Hengoed, Francis Hiley, Christmas Evans and John James of Brigend as defenders of limited atonement). ... When these points of view came under attack later on, it was not the all embracing grace of Christ which was offered as an alternative but the teaching of Andrew Fuller which was just fractionally more liberal. Micah Thomas was one of the first in Wales to come under the influence of Fuller but, although he invited him to Wales, in 1812, he also saw well to anticipate criticism by publishing his Salvation of Sovereign Grace. But he did not save himself from persecution. The main exponent of the views of Andrew Fuller was however J. P. Davies, minister of Tredegar. The debate spread to the pages of Seren Gomer in the twenties until Gomer himself saw well to put an end to it. J. P. Davies was refused the freedom of the pulpit in Hermon, Fishguard and Benjamin Price (Cymro Bach) complained that he too had chapel doors closed against him and speaks of orthodoxy eating up some of the ministers like leprosy. As Daniel Davies (Swansea) noticed, there was often more prejudice than understanding in people's attitudes. He preached a sermon in Tredegar, the stronghold of the Fullerites, where it was acclaimed for its liberal sentiments, and the identical sermon in Hengoed, the rallying place of the opposition, where it was acclaimed for its orthodoxy. Some churches were again split. The Calvinists left Frogmore St., Abergavenny where Micah Thomas combined his ministry with his post as head of the college. In Horeb, Blaenafon it was the Fullerites who left to form the new church of Ebenezer. Their application to join the Association was discussed in Caerphilly in 1828 and was supported among others by J. P. Davies and Micah Thomas and opposed by John Jenkins and Francis Riley, leading the Calvinists. The two parties according to Daniel Davies sat "like the ministerial and opposition parties in Parliament" and it took all the good sense and pleading of John Jones of New-town to prevent a split like the Meidrum split.

The denominational college at Abergavenny did not escape. John Jenkins was refused permission to speak at the annual meeting of 1827 on the grounds that Hengoed had not contributed to the college that year - that, at least, was the ostensible reason. He struck back and there would be considerable sympathy for some of his remarks; that the Welsh language was not given its proper place in the college, that the governing committee of the college should be broader based, etc. More savage was his charge that Micah Thomas profiteered on the £24 per head which he received for lodging the students and his final statement, "I have no idea what Mr. Thomas's views on religious matters may be" was a piece of blatant hypocrisy. He was supported by Francis Hiley and the bickering reached as far afield as Pwllheli in Caernarvonshire where William Jones threatened to withold his contributions to the college unless the Welsh language received its proper due. But before rushing to acclaim him for his loyalty to the language, it would be well to remember the extreme Calvinist tone of his articles in Seren Gamer and that his unbending orthodoxy had forced John Jones, a promising young minister who had been a student at Abergavenny, to leave Pwllheli for Nefyn in 1826. Micah Thomas in turn was defended by D. Phillips, secretary of the college.

A far more serious quarrel broke out in 1834 when five students left the college; Joseph Davies and John Williams of Castleton, Theophilus Jones of Caerphilly, Enoch Price, a brother of Benjamin Price from Blaenafon and William Graven, the man who later brought a charge of libel against the secretary of the Glamorgan Association. Their complaints reflected some of the strict rules of the academies of the period; they had to show themselves to the monitor in the morning, they had to be in by eight at night so that they could not attend the meetings of the local Cymreigyddion who met in the Sun Inn whose landlord was a member in Llanwenarth. We come near to the true cause of the contention in the charge that Micah Thomas showed particular favour to one of the students, Thomas Morgan, who was adjudged by the five to be an Arminian. He was to become a missionary in India. And if the charge of nurturing an Arminian was not enough, Micah Thomas was also accused of reading portions from the works of John Wesley at the breakfast table. A meeting was held in Pontypool on January 1, 1835, with Francis Hiley's son, Isaac, in the chair. The father was also present together with John Jenkins, David Jones of Cardiff and some of the ministers of the students who had withdrawn - Evan Jones (Gwrwst) and John Jones of Blaenafon. Behind them stood Thomas Kenvyn and Thomas Morris (Tom of the ten chapels) who was accused of fanning the embers of controversy. A committee was formed to support the five students with Isaac Hiley as treasurer, and John Jones of Blaenafon as secretary and they were sent for instruction to William Jones of Cardiff. The college committee stood behind Micah Thomas, drawing its strength from the strong body of middle class laymen which the Baptists then possessed in Monmouthshire, men such as W. W. Phillips of Pontymoel, George Brewer of Nantyglo, Charles Conway, etc. D. R. Stephens maintained their point of view in the periodi-cals. He had baptised Thomas Morgan in Swansea and now did his best to defend Micah Thomas in a series of open letters to Christmas Evans. He was attacked in turn by Evan Jones (Gwrwst) who taunted him with being a supporter of open communion. The old arguments came to the surface once more, that there was too little Welsh in the college, that the institution should be more firmly under denominational control, etc. One of the committee members was said to be an Independent while another was not a member of any church at all. Echoes of contemporary political battles are heard in the accusation that the college was a 'rotten borough'. The editor of Y Greal was wise enough to put a quick end to the charge and counter charge but not before the debate had reached the Associations. The Northern Association decided to continue with its contributions to the college but only on the understanding that it should become the property of the denomination. In the Glamorgan Association there was some talk of setting up another college in Cardiff and the suggestion made at the time that a college be opened at Haverfordwest received some support from the Monmouthshire Association. Nothing came of the threats at the time and Micah Thomas soon resigned to be followed as head of the college by Thomas Thomas. The college also moved to Pontypool but it remained under the control of the same- committee and there was no reference to Particular Baptists in the new trust deed.

This unpleasant bickering went on for years. On the one hand there was the so-called Cardiff club with a caucus drawn from among the old opponents of Micah Thomas and including David and William Jones of Cardiff, John Jenkins, Thomas Morris and others. On the other side was the cyfarfod gweinidogaethol or ministers meeting founded in the summer of 1840 by D. Rhys Stephens, Thomas Davies of High Street, Merthyr and D. Llwyd Isaac … men such as … D. D. Evans of Pontrhyd-yr-ynn and Nefydd took part from time to time, as well as Evan Jones although he had been at one time an opponent of Micah Thomas. These meetings were furiously condemned by the deacons of Hengoed and Penygarn.

Ministerial Training

In an article in the Bapotist Quarterly in 1966 we read these words:

In Wales some attempts had been made to provide an educated ministry in the first half of the eighteenth century. Towards the end of the fourth decade John Griffiths of Hengoed gathered a few students for training, at Trosnant near Pontypool, a work which lasted about until 1770. These were the years of Awakening in the Principality. In 1741 the Association at Blaenau Gwent had discussed the possibility of a denominational college but the resources of Baptists at that time were considered inadequate. It was in 1806, under the inspiration of Micah Thomas, that a work was begun at Abergavenny which has continued ever since and is now comprehended in the South Wales Baptist College. It is noteworthy that Thomas was largely under the influence of Andrew Fuller and the academy he led was modelled on his old college at Bristol. It was the evangelical spirit of the second half of the eighteenth century which convinced Baptists to the need of ministerial education and they sought to produce a preaching ministry able to capture the imagination of the age.